The Stars Beyond
by packgirlandi
Summary: Nina is just a regular girl working in her sister's booth. That is, until she gets mixed up in a space pirate's business. With no way to get home, Nina must do everything she can to avoid the mischievous pilot's "misguided friends", as he calls them, just long enough to be taken back to Earth.
1. Chapter 1

**All rights belong to Marissa Meyer. Only the new characters and plot are mine.**

CHAPTER 1

As the gleaming rays of the sun spilled through the window, Nina could only curse at herself. _Why had she commed her friends the entire night?_ Nina rolled away from the sun, unable to stand the persistent bright light any longer. Maybe a few more precious moment of sleep could still be possible... Her hopes were shattered seconds later as her door flew open with a cold breeze following shortly after. The sharp tone of her mother's voice cut through Nina's dreamy state.

"Good morning, darling." Her mother reached out and yanked the blanket from Nina's body, trying to rouse her from sleep completely. "Time to get up now. You have a big day ahead of you and you don't want to be late." She was trying to speak quietly, but was cross all the same. Nina had slept in again.

Slowly, Nina exposed her eyes to the waiting morning sunshine. She snapped them shut again almost instantly, escaping the sun glaring at her. Her mother rattled her shoulder.

"Now, darling."

Nina groaned. She stretched the morning stiffness out of her muscles, her messy hair tickling her nose as she sat up sluggishly. Her body protested at being dragged from its favorite state so soon. Still unable to face the sunlight Nina dug her fists into her eyes to press the sleep from them. It was working until her mother snatched her hands away.

"Don't do that, darling! You could hurt yourself." Nina's hands fell onto her lap. The blinding sunlight was blocked as her mother moved to the other side of the bed. Nina took the opportunity to pry open her eyelids. The room materialized into focus as she blinked a couple times. Standing in front of her was her mother. She was dressed smartly in a black pant suit with needle-like heels on her feet. Her dark hair was twisted up in a professional knot behind her head. The severe expression on her mother's face could have made Luna drop out of the sky. To Nina she looked like an uptight escort droid.

"Hurry up and get dressed. You'll start out with a bad impression if you're late, darling." The protection from the sun that was her mother relocated to the foot of her bed. Nina recoiled as the sun seared her eyes once again.

"It's only Lynn, Mom. She wouldn't leave without me, anyways," Nina murmured. Lynn was a prospering seamstress in New Beijing Market. She also happened to be Nina's older sister. Nina looked up to Lynn like she had hung the stars just for her younger – and only – sister. They adored each other.

"Either way," her mother persisted, "I don't want you to be late. Get dressed." She set her right hand on Nina's shoulder. Even though the hand was soft and warm, Nina knew it was thoroughly false. The doctors had done a good job with the skin grafting and the cyborg parts worked perfectly, but they couldn't erase the memory of the crushed fist it had become. Her hand would never be as graceful as it had been once.

Sensing Nina's discomfort, she drew away the limb, turned stiffly and began to march away, her pointy heels managing to click through the carpeted floor. She stopped and turned back. "Would you like me to take you there, darling?"

Nina shook her head. "No. Lynn already said she would." Her mother stepped out of the room as soon as Nina gave the answer, her head still turned toward Nina. "Don't forget about the shoot later. And please wake your uncle up." The door closed with a croak.

Nina sprung out of bed with another back popping stretch and scanned her room. It was neat, like always. Her bed – just two mattresses stacked on the floor – was in the far right corner of her room, diagonal from her door. The curtains over her windows were just shirts she had hung up to give the illusion she had a closet. The dresser across from the foot of her bed was by far the crown jewel of the room. The white-painted wood was rounded like an orb and the curving designs on each of the six drawers had been filed and smoothed. Her grandfather had given it to her on her tenth birthday. It looked like an antique. On top was a small hand held mirror, a brush that always pulled your hair vigorously, and a brown hair tie.

The small space had never made sense to Nina. Her family had never had a difficult life and they were by no means tight on money – in fact, they had an over abundance of it – but her parents were all about life lessons. You got what you needed and worked for the rest. It seemed a bit mental to Nina, but arguing got you nothing but punishments, so she stayed quiet.

The business that her parents had built up, Shi Industries, was a multi-million univ corporation. They manufactured the ServDroids, ShapingDroids, and, their most recent invention, the Transports. People were calling them the best devices to have ever made an appearance on either Earth or Luna. The media shoot of the newest model of transports was today with the entire family. Nina was dreading it.

She had never been big with publicity. Even at school she shied away from anything that would broadcast her name: School plays, clubs, sports, media photo shoots with her parents... She would much rather work in a dirty market booth with her sister.

Nina was out in the hallway in no time, dressed in a white shirt and her second fanciest bottoms: baggy capri pants. Her fanciest pair would be saved for later in the day. Her small fingers were still in the process of dragging her heavy hair into a long ponytail as Nina stepped into the foyer of their small apartment.

The limited space held a netscreen on one of the brown walls, stiff tufts of thinning rug that were poking at the undersides of Nina's feet, and a year old family portrait. Light filtered through beige curtains, illuminating the intoxicated lump on the drooping sofa.

Nina sent a discarded beer bottle away with a kick of her foot as she crossed the room. It disgusted her to see how many there were. Apparently, extended family didn't apply to the "If you don't need it, you don't get it" rule.

Nina shook her uncle by the arm to wake him as soon as she reached his side. He would be late for work again if he didn't get up soon. It amazed her that he hadn't been fired already. He simply flapped his fat hand in the air, nearly slapping Nina in the face. She moved his arm more forcefully this time. For a second, Nina thought she had actually woken him with her weak, half hearted attempts – he tended to get angry and violent when disturbed – as the head of her overweight uncle swiveled toward her. But, instead of being awoken, he screwed up his face and offered a great, big belch right into her gaping mouth.

Nina gagged as she staggered away from him and pinched her nose shut. The drunken smell still surrounded him even as he closed his mouth and shifted into a more comfortable position. Nina felt she couldn't be any more disgusted while she studied him. His bulging stomach spilled out of his stained shirt onto the floor, his face was blotchy and pale, and his legs were twitching uncontrollably. Nina gagged again.

Just as she was debating taking another attempt or leaving her uncle be, the front door opened. Lynn spotted Nina as she traipsed in, a wide grin forming on her lips. The two siblings looked almost exactly alike with their long, dark hair and heart shaped faces from their mother and their syrupy brown eyes from their father. The two could have passed for twins on a four-year-delay if not for the height difference. Lynn was nearly two whole heads taller than Nina.

"I bought eggs!" She didn't try to be quite for their passed out uncle as she announced this to her sister. "Why don't you help me start them up, Bug?" Nina nodded enthusiastically. She rolled her eyes at the nickname they had picked up a few years back.

A filling breakfast of scrambled cheesy-eggs later, Nina found herself skipping in front of Lynn down two flights of stairs to the elevators. No one could bother putting in donations for them to reach any more floors, so the whole building made do, having to come down seven floors at most sometimes to get to the short transportation system. Nina didn't mind it though. Even if she did, they didn't _need_ it and her parents would put the whole argument aside.

The jolting ride and the squealing doors continued to wake Nina all the way down to the bottom floor. Her jittery stomach propelled her out the front doors of the lobby in anticipation to start the work day. She shakily climbed into the hover Lynn had commed and fastened herself in. Lynn jabbered the whole way to the market about the cloth patterns she had seen earlier and Nina made a mental note to order them as soon as she had enough money as a surprise for her sister.

She had visited the market often before, but the sight still amazed her. Shops were stacked on top of one another with booths crammed between them. Lights were strung back and forth across the street – they were turned on during festivals – and there were people of all kinds: Tall, short, wide, slim. There were big, hairy men (and some big, hairy women) waiting for the market to open for the day and children were dodging their parents. Nina wrinkled her nose. Even thought this was the newer sector of the New Beijing Market, the smells of sticky bun shops and hover repairs still did not mix well. She absolutely loved it.

They weaved in and out of people in the market to get to their booth. Nina couldn't help the stab of envy that stung her chest as she arrived through the held-open door of the booth.

A single mannequin in one of the front corners showed a newly made tea length dress with an empire waist and a jewel neckline. Pink calla lily flowers were embroidered against the white background of the beautiful dress. Bolts of colorful material of all textures and designs lined the shelves on the right wall, while needles and thread lined the left. The wall opposite the customer window had a large tapestry. It depicted Earth with a crescent Luna along the edge like they were guarding each other. Stars and galaxies surrounded them, creating the illusion of a security blanket. The blending colors brought tears of wonder to Nina's eyes. She didn't particularly like Luna, but it was so small compared to everything else that she didn't mind. Turning around, Nina noticed a three foot wall of steel drawers was placed under customer window with a steel counter on top. Outside the large window above the counter, there was a very long line.

Nina blinked harshly to keep the tears at bay. She had been an excellent seamstress since the day she had picked up her first needle. She would have been the best seamstress working in market.

Nina's mother had been a seamstress until she had helped start Shi Industries. Instead of selling the booth off, she decided to give it to one of her daughters. Nina had piped up immediately, wanting to take on the challenge, but her mother absolutely forbid it. She didn't want her baby working in a stinky market with smelly strangers. Nina always argued back. She was fourteen now, after all. Surely that was old enough to work as a seamstress _and_ go to school. Everyone else in her class had jobs, why couldn't she? Her mother ignored the reasoning. So the booth had gone to her sister. Lynn was very talented, but it was nothing compared to her little sister's gift. Lynn had actually taken informal lessons from Nina for a while.

Understanding Nina's disappointment, Lynn hired her on the weekends, when school wouldn't get in the way. Their mother accepted the compromise with reluctance and tight lips. Nina was grateful, of course, but being an employee wasn't the same as owning.

Determined not to let her sister down, Nina smiled up at her. This was only the beginning. Her very first day. She would make the best of it in hopes that she could shine her talent, even if she only got partial credit...

Lynn clasped her hands together. "I'm so glad you're here! I've had this order that needs finishing on the embroidery." She reached into the top left drawer under the window and drew out a small, red shirt collar made from silk. Gleaming thread the same color as the collar had been delicately applied to make it shimmer like jewels in the sunlight, and golden lace patterns had been added to the top. It was beautiful.

"After that, " Lynn continued, "we need to connect it back onto the blouse. Think you can do it?" Then Lynn shook her head at herself. "Of course you can! Come here."

Lynn led her to a tiny table made of plastic that was squashed between two shelves. Nina hadn't even noticed it before. On one corner of the table, a red, silk blouse was spread out. Under the table there were two backless, plastic stools and a ShapingDroid. "Help yourself to supplies and I'll finish the cuffs." Lynn left to fetch them from the drawers. Nina pulled one of the stools from under the table. She had to hop a little, but she managed to sit as comfortably as she could atop the rigid plastic.

Customers peered curiously through the window as they worked. Nina briefly wondered why Lynn had opened it so soon. Maybe she just liked sunlight better than the artificial light they were provided. Shrugging off the distraction of the many curious eyes, Nina took a closer look at Lynn's work. The swooping designs weren't terribly complicated and Nina decided she could easily copy and complete it.

Not thirty minutes had yet passed when Nina finally noticed the noise. She shook her head. Of course there was noise. This was a popular market and more people were flooding in. She bent over her work once more. The piece was nearly done and she needed to focus. She completed two more stitches before her head snapped up. This was more than regular market commotion. People were shouting – screaming, almost. Her brow furrowed and she wished to window had the roller pulled down over it. That would block out some of the noise.

Suddenly, a deep voice was heard above the rest. "Stop!" Nina jumped, startled.

"What...?" she started.

"Queen's Studio," Lynn answered quickly in attempt to ease her sister's confusion. Really, 'Queen's Studio' was just a glorified name for the booth Queen Selene had worked in for years. Lynn stood and crossed the room. Reaching up, she grasped the handle on the roller door and pulled it down over the window. It reduced some of the noise, but also left them with only a single, dim bulb dangling from the ceiling. "You'd think that eventually everyone would have seen it and get bored by a mechanic booth, but no!" Lynn drew out the last word. "The flood of tourists never seems to end!" She dug her fist into her forehead like she was trying to rid herself of the plague that was more commonly known as obnoxious people. "Now, we need to get this done. Have you finished yet?"

Nina nodded. "Yes."

Lynn took the finished collar from Nina and started attaching the collar and cuffs to the blouse while Nina sat in her stiff, plastic stool, listening to the outside commotion.

Someone had tried to climb inside Queen's Studio for a picture, from the sounds of it, and it hadn't gone too well.

Nina couldn't understand why anyone would want to get anywhere near it. Every time Nina absolutely had to walk past it, she would shrink away as far as possible. Some of the prejudice against Lunars had faded in the past couple decades, but most of it still lingered, and the rumors Nina had heard didn't help.

Rumors that the booth that once belonged to her was cursed with her magic. That she had used it to trick the Emperor into making her Empress.

She'd heard that her magic was strong enough to bypass the safeguards in net feeds and bioelectric locks. That no one, not shells or even androids, could ever be safe near her.

People made the news when they disappeared right after openly opposing her. Nina could hardly imagine what she did to them.

No one had seen her shed a single tear in over thirty years. Not even for the aunt she shot after refusing an attempt to make peace.

Nina didn't doubt that she was lying in wait to abuse her power as Empress Selene to harm innocent Earthens.

The most bone chilling rumor was one with enough evidence that Nina doubted it was a rumor at all. The vile woman had poisoned her step-sister years ago simply because she found the child annoying.

A shiver ran up Nina's back and she cut her thoughts off from the powerful Lunar. She didn't want to get caught thinking about her, and she didn't want to die.

 **WHOO! First chapter on my first fanfic! I hope you liked it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**All rights belong to Marissa Meyer. Only the new characters and plot are mine.**

CHAPTER 2

Nina had never been more excited in her life. The impending doom that was a media photo shoot couldn't reach her while she was working alongside Lynn. Not even the blistering heat that came with the market could put a dent in the satisfaction that flooded her every nerve with every stitch she completed.

What could bring her down, unfortunately, was her mother, comming a private link every few seconds to make sure she hadn't cut off her nose or accidentally given herself a piercing or whatever. It was all Nina could do to keep from actually doing everything her mom said not to, just because. If there was anything Nina knew how to do, it was use a needle. According to Ms. 'I'm just worried', that all changed when other people were involved. It was unbearable.

Nina turned off her portable and stuffed it in the nearest drawer as soon as Lynn left to get them lunch.

"No. What are you- Stop it!" The ShapingDroid stared at her with it's smooth, plastic face. "I said three centi- Stop shifting already! I haven't finished telling you. Not seven!" Nina screamed into her hands. The dumb droid had only been programmed for Lynn's orders and didn't much like to be bossed around by anyone else. She kicked at it.

Fine. If it was going to be that way, she'd just let Lynn handle it. Better to let it be punished than to argue with it.

Resigning to a corner with the most shade, Nina leaned against the cool metal. Sweat trickled down from behind her ear. She wiped at it with a rag. Wouldn't be good for business if she gave people their clothes drenched in her dripping sweat. Could Lynn really not afford a fan? Nina would have to get that later, too.

Padding back over to the table, Nina snatched a purple cotton… something. Nina couldn't exactly tell what it was supposed to be, only that it needed two-hundred white diamond shapes by next week. The little patterns were stenciled lightly across the entire thing. She would have to find a crewel needle…

"Hey!"

Nina jumped. A man waved her over from the window. The impatient scowl that marred his dark face was half hidden by too-long locks of brown hair. Nina sighed and trudged over to him, reluctant to reveal herself to the searing sun.

The man leaned over the counter, getting close to Nina's face. His breath smelled faintly of beans. "Where's that other girl? She has my stuff."

"She's out right now, but I can get it for you." Nina dragged her fingers across a screen embedded in the wall. "What name is it under?"

The bean man squinted at her with suspicious eyes. "Younge. Keyne, if you need that, too."

"Alright, Mr. Younge. Your total is three-hundred seventy-five univs."

"So much?" He stretched to swipe his wrist over the screen, the order label turning green as he did so.

Nina nodded and placed a folded coat between them. She never really understood why people insisted Lynn, and now herself, do repair work. It was far cheaper to replace most things, but she wasn't one to complain. Money was money. "Rush orders cost a bit more. Would you like it wrapped?"

The man scooped up his order and rolled his eyes like she was stupid. "I would have said so when I brought it in, wouldn't I have?"

Nina bit her lip. "Of course, sir. Sorry." She wasn't sorry to watch his retreating back. Rubbing her hands together, Nina prepared herself for the purple monstrosity that would most likely make her hands cramp long after she was finished.

Except she couldn't find it. It wasn't on the table, the floor, or even… The counter! That's where she left it. She ripped open the drawer just below it - the only one that had been opened that day - but it wasn't there. Neither was it on the ground outside of the booth.

Nina bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. She didn't want to dare think it, but she knew it was the only possibility. Not bothering to even close the door, Nina ran in the direction she has seen Mr. Younge go. No way was she letting him take such a big order.

For a brief moment, she could see him as she chomped down on a sticky bun.

"Hey! Hey, wait! You have- Sorry," she apologized to someone she had managed to step on. "Wait, Mr. Younge!" Nina grunted as an elbow dug into her chest. She was losing sight of him and standing on tip-toes didn't help short people much in a crowd. Of all days for people to block her!

He was far too fast for her to ever catch him, she knew, but she couldn't lose that order. First day or not, she wouldn't allow any mistakes.

"Move!" Nina shoved her own elbow into someone's ribs. She'd apologized later if they found her, but for now, stepping on a few feet was worth getting past all of them. She yelped as her pony tail caught on something. Her hand flew to her hair, freeing it from a baby's fist. The child giggled in their mother's arms, uncaring that they'd just snapped her hair band. She spat out a piece of her curly-beyond-reason hair from her mouth. Mr. Younge was getting further and further away. "Please, stop!"

He didn't. He made his way to the landing pad for waiting hovers, not knowing, or maybe just not caring, that he was being called for.

The crowd of people thinned by the launch pad, making easier for her to move, but also easier for Mr. Younge to escape. Out of breath, Nina spotted a strand of his hair as it disappeared behind a row of much larger ships. Ships made for long space travel.

"No!" she cried. "MR. YOUNGE!" She ignored the cramping of her legs and the dull pain from her bruised chest as her feet pounded into the ground as hard as she could.

A few people turned to stare at her, but none of them were the ones she actually needed to pay attention.

Finally, after what seemed far too long to be chasing down a bit of cloth, Nina skidded to a halt in front of a ship with its ramp lowered. Taking a deep breath, Nina yelled for the thief with as much power as she could muster. The ramp remained empty.

Nina groaned. Her first day and already she had been robbed.

Setting her jaw, Nina stepped forward. She had never been inside one of these ships, but the stupid man obviously wasn't going to come out and was probably preparing to set off at that very moment. She would just have to be quick.

Once up the ramp, the sharp twist of metal that drifted through the air reminded her of the market. For a second she could even detect the sweetness of the bun he had eaten. The inside body of the ship was decorated a lot better than Nina had ever thought possible for a long distance cargo ship. A plush couch lined one wall under a panel of blinking lights of all colors. A brightly lit corridor led directly to a dining area where wooden chairs were bolted to the floor. Another corridor, this one lined with wire and more blinking lights, led off in the other direction. Nina guessed that was where he was.

She moved to stomp down there and demand he return what he had taken, but before she could get far, the floor lurched. It was only a slight change, but it was enough to throw Nina off balance. She stumbled, her knees catching on the back of the couch.

The ramp started to rise.

Nina's chest tightened. "No!" She ran to her quickly closing exit, but she wasn't fast enough. A small sliver of the sky was the last thing she could see through it. Her breathing quickened and her pulse started to pound her eyes. "No. No, wait! Mr. Younge!" Nina's raced on sore legs to the wire hallway. The ship was starting to move again. For the first time, she could feel the engine rumbling deep in its belly. How long had it been on "Mr. Younge, wa-" Her stomach twisted and she fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around her abdomen. The walls and floor were moving around her. She squoze her eyes shut. Being jostled around in a cargo ship was not a pleasant experience, no matter how nicely it was furnished. A fresh wave of nausea swept over her like an ocean wave. It was all she could do to keep the bile down.

She didn't know how long she stayed in that position, only that after some time she had curled up on the floor in a way that made her stomach settle. A single thought ran through her mind.

 _Get out_.

How, she asked herself, would it even be possible to do that? It wasn't like she could just bust down a steel door, no matter how much she wanted to. She had no idea where the ship was now, only that it wasn't on the ground, and she could hardly move.

Finally, Nina forced herself to her feet. She clenched her teeth, willing herself not to puke. On gelatin legs, she used the wall to steady herself.

Two seats matching the couch were settled in the front of the control room, both faced away from her. Under yet another array of lights and labels that may as well have been written in a foreign language was a wide window. Nina swallowed at the scene before her, pinching her lips together. She stared long enough for her legs to steady beneath her and her head to start feeling like it was still attached to her shoulders. She should be scared, she knew, but the sight was fascinating. Luna was the size of her pinky nail. If she hadn't know better, she would have thought it looked like a little glistening jewel. What really caught her eye was the speck just beyond it. It was… It was _Earth_ , too far away to even see individual continents.

"I'm flying." She whispered.

"No, I'm flying. You're riding."

Nina jumped at the sudden comment, whipping around and moving into a defensive stance. "Mr. Younge!" She straightened.

He gave her a lopsided grin. Nina glared. Idiot. "Another stowaway, huh?"

"What?"

Mr. Younge gestured to a small huddle in the corner. Nina squeaked as a pair of eyes met hers. The pair of eyes shifted until Nina could make out the shape of a young boy. He must have been at least a couple years younger than her. "I get 'em all the time. Didn't expect you, though."

"That's because I'm not a stowaway."

"Oh, is that right? 'Cause it seems to me you're on my ship. Stowing away."

Nina crossed her arms over her chest. "That's not what happened. I'm not stowing away. I'm very happy with my life, thank you very much." Even as she said it she knew it was a lie. She would definitely be missing the photo shoot with her family and, to be honest, she was a little relieved. "I was calling for you for a full ten minutes, but you just ignored me."

"You were?" His eyes widened and he stuffed his hand in his pocket. "Oh, aces! I'm so sorry." He held out his hand guiltily, scratching the back of his head with the other. In his palm rested a set of small, plastic encased chips. "I was listening to a news feed. Don't really get much once you're past Luna, so I was catching up a bit." His face was so red Nina doubted it would ever return to its natural color. "I promise, as soon as I finish up, I'll take you straight home."

Nina screwed up her face. What the heck did he think he was doing? "You're taking me home right now! I can't just stay in space. I have school and no one knows where I even am!"

Mr. Younge shrugged. "Should have thought about that before you followed me. Which is kind of creepy if you think about it. Who does that, anyway?"

Nina's head felt like it was ready to explode. "Someone who's trying to get their work back from someone else who stole it when they took their order."

"What? Did I?"

"That's what I just said."

Mr. Younge hung his head. "Not a good day. Not a good day at all." He turned the unoccupied chair around and lifted his coat. There, crumpled up, was the diamond project. He held it out to her and Nina it snatched it away before he could do anything else. "Look, I'm sorry, but I'm already way behind schedule. The trip-" He gave her an exasperated look as she went to protest. She nodded for him to continue, reluctant, but needing to hear what he was going to do. "The trip will be less than a week. Five days at most. Four if we're lucky."

He held up his hands as she opened her mouth to shout at him. Five days! They were already too far from Earth for her to contact her family and they would definitely notice she was missing for five days if Lynn hadn't already.

"I know, I know!" He dragged his hands down his face. "How about I give you something for the, uh, unexpected detour?" Nina rolled her eyes at his not-so-inventive name for their situation. "Say, five-thousand univs. I can pay up front, if you want." He held out his wrist, even though she didn't have her port.

Nina's eyes widened at the offer. Five-thousand univs. Oh, what she could do with all that. She bit her lip to hide a smile. Five-thousand univs closer to her own booth. With than much she could have enough saved up by the time she turned eighteen to buy her own shop, even.

"You're just going to pay me off after being kidnapped." She meant for her tone to be biting and repulsed, but both of them knew she wouldn't turn it down.

He shook his head. "Sit down, kid. Josiah refuses to sit next to me, so the seat's free."

Nina glanced at the kid before sitting. She wondered where he was from. How long had he been in here? She shook her head. It didn't matter.

She folded her project on her lap and placed her hands on top of it protectively. "So what are you? A space pirate?"

"Not really. The only people that call me that are… well, let's call them misguided friends."

"Okay, Pirate. Take me home."

He winced. "Just call me Key. Much better than 'Mr. Younge' and way better than-" he stuck out his tongue- " _pirate_."

"Kidnappers don't deserve to choose what they're called."

"I'm not a kidnapper."

Nina threw up her hands. "Well, you knew I was here and set off anyway!"

"Because you snuck onto my ship. People who do that usually are stow-" he cut off sharply as the ship jerked to the left. Nina clamped a hand over her mouth. She could faintly taste egg from breakfast.

"Sorry, sorry. I should probably focus on this. Gotta be careful, you know? My storage rooms are filled with precious… stuff."

Nina could think of a few other things he should be worried about over the merchandise, but keeping everything safe was a clear step towards not dying. "You do that." She groaned as her stomach lurched again. It was going to be a long five days.

 **I'm so sorry I took so flipping long to update this! I don't know if anyone will actually read this, but if you are: Thank You! I hope you liked it. I have pre-written chaps now and an entire outline, so updates should be smoother. Hopefully. Maybe like once a week. Anyways, hope you have a good day! -packgirlandi**


	3. Chapter 3

**All rights belong to Marissa Meyer. Only the new characters and plot are mine.**

CHAPTER 3

"Hey, kid."

Nina looked up from where she had been playing card games on the floor with Josiah. Out of five rounds, she had yet to win once. "What?"

Key lifted up his squashed green hat that Nina thought was absolutely hideous and scratched his head. "Welcome to The Second Star."

Nina rocketed to her feet. The Second Star was the trading post Key had been telling her all about for the past two days. Nina grinned. It wasn't just any trading post. It was their last one before they could turn back to Earth. She hadn't even been gone a week and already missed any and all food that wasn't packed in a can. She dared to hope that maybe they would have something good on the asteroid.

"Really?" She peered out the window. Her face fell. There was nothing but space dust, space dust, and more space dust. Hardly the thriving mini-city she was promised. "Where?" Key grinned at her wickedly, like this was all great fun. She scowled. "Let me guess. We won't be there for another two hours."

Key laughed. "Nope. It's behind us."

Nina's jaw dropped, the ache in her head starting up again. "Behind us? You mean we're not stopping? You promised I would get home after we went here!" She threw her handful of cards at him. What the heck was he playing at?

"No, no. This is how we get there." He placed his hand on a green lit screen, dragged the image into the air, and spun it around so she could see exactly where they were. "They gravity's a bit weird here, so there's only one entrance we can use safely, and I'm all about safety."

Nina rolled her eyes, her red face cooling down. He was all about safety only if his 'trade' was involved.

"The shipment here's small, so I was hoping you wouldn't mind we stayed a couple hours longer. I do-" he started before she could protest- "have to get my crew, after all. They've been waiting here for a couple of weeks. I gave them a little vacation time as a present for the holidays. And a friend of mine is here."

Nina sighed and dropped her shoulders. It wasn't like she could stop him. "Sure. Whatever." Besides, a couple hours wasn't much longer to wait.

"Great. Josiah, you and Nina pick up those cards, alright?"

"Yes, sir," Josiah said with a mock salute.

The landing was one of Key's smoothest, despite the supposed danger of landing anywhere else, and, for that, Nina was grateful. It was the first time her meals didn't threaten a reappearance.

The post was much bigger than Nina had thought it would be. It could easily fit the other three posts they had visited by… well, she didn't know exactly, but it was a lot. At least twice.

"Just you wait," Key said as the ship settled onto solid ground. "This place is nothing like you've ever seen. They've got a whole bunch of domes, like Luna. Spas, beaches, even forests for camping. The Second Star is pretty much a resort for long distance workers and travelers." He smiled wildly. "It's my favorite place in the whole universe."

Nina was absolutely beside herself with excitement. From Key description, she fully expected a relaxing two hours. Maybe even clothes that weren't the scratchy uniforms that came with the ship.

What she didn't expect was a blond woman to start cursing at them as soon as the ramp lowered.

"Stars above, Key. What were you thinking? Three weeks you were gone and now you've brought two kids! Don't go telling me we have to take them with us!"

"Well…"

She roared. "Of all the… We don't have the room! What is with you and your strays? We're already so far behind. We spent far too much time here."

"You're complaining about an extended vacation?" Nina's eyes widened. She may not have known the blond lady, but she knew that that was the wrong thing to say.

"There are so many repairs that have to be done! I can't believe you flew it around like that. The navigation system is all messed up, no wonder it took you so long to get here. Did you even think about upset customers? Of course not! And your comms. I couldn't get anything through to you!"

Her hair bobbed around her ears with every angry word. Nina kept her eyes on the wrench in the woman's hand. It threatened flight when she jabbed it in each of their directions. Nina was half surprised that the hamburger clutched in her other hand hadn't fallen to pieces by the time she stopped for a breath. She took a furious bite out of it, using her sleeve to wipe sauce from the corner of her mouth.

Key sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Nina, Josiah, this is Maya Linkon, the love of my life."

"Not so sure about that. Left me behind with the loons." Maya settled down enough to examine the two, scrutiny cranked to full blast in her winter eyes.

Key licked his lips. "Uh, Maya?" Nina looked down at her feet. She almost felt bad that she was forcing them to waste more time by taking her back. Almost.

"What?"

"Nina's not exactly a stowaway."

Nina piped up before Maya could start cursing at him again. "He kidnapped me and has to return me." She winced. She hadn't meant to make it sound so bad.

Maya looked at Nina like she had just told her to sunbathe on the nearest star. She threw her hands up in the air and turned on her heel. "Come talk to me when you've realized how dumb you're being. We don't have time for pit stops."

Key's face fell. "Right. Okay."

Nina scrunched her nose. "Sorry."

Key sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it, kid. I did kind of kidnap you, after all."

"Only kind of."

Key hummed. "Well, guess it's time to introduce you to my mighty crew." He grinned and stuck his thumb over his shoulder to a squat building with a neon sign: Nettle Inn. "I think you'll like them."

Nina and Josiah exchanged a glance before following him to the front doors where a ground of people flooded out the doors.

"Captain Younge!" one of them called. Key waved back, his smile only half fake.

The mighty crew of Key Younge was… well, it was… interesting, Nina finally settled on. All of them were older than her, but not by much, and none of them had real names.

"This is Fox," Key introduced a lanky, freckled, twenty year old.

"Bear," for a round, squat boy. He was clearly one of the youngest, his voice still squeaking a little.

"Rabbit," for a girl with hair as curly as Nina's, though it was much shorter and pulled back to show her near black eyes.

"Nice to meet you," she'd said.

"Skunk, and he knows it," Key said, ignoring the protests of the boy with overly long ears and a foul smell drifting off of him.

"Racoon One and Racoon Two," a pair of twins that hid behind Maya despite being much larger than her. "And that's all of 'em. All stowaways." He said proudly, grabbin one of the twins and ruffling their hair. "I think I'll call Josiah Turtle. That way, his nickname can be Turd."

"Hey!"

Nina laughed. She wouldn't mind the shared two day ride back to Earth with them at all.

She and Josiah helped the crew unload crates that were surprisingly light for their size. She lifted one on top of her head, much to the delight of Josiah and Bear, who copied her.

Nina climbed back up the ramp to grab the last crate. It was one of the smallest, but also plenty heavy. She pinched her lips together. What had Key packed in there? Gravity stabilizers on full blast? She bent down the pick it up.

"I can't believe you." Nina froze at the sound of Maya's voice.

"She just snuck on. I thought maybe she was running away, but I was wrong. I messed up, okay," Key said. Nina stood, eyes locked on the wall they were talking behind, unaware they were being listened in on.

"Messed up? Taking a kid from her home isn't 'messing up', Keyne! It's illegal!"

"I know that. I promised to take her back when we were done."

"You should have taken her back immediately. That way an entire week wouldn't be wasted just to take her on a little trip."

"You know I couldn't just drop her off. I have to make sure she gets back safely. You know that."

Nina scampered down the ramp as fast as she could, but not quick enough that she didn't hear Maya's next few words and Key's reply.

"I'm sick of this, Keyne. I'm staying here. Don't bother coming to get me again."

"Maybe I won't."

Nina could feel herself turn red. She wanted to run back in to fix it, but had no idea as to how she would, so she stayed away. Maya left and, true to her words, didn't return after fixing the navigation.

Key's eyes were rimmed with red when he finally came out. Nina's stomach clenched. She had been the one that caused that. Key smiled at her and the rest of them like nothing had happened.

"I heard the royal crew's in town. You guys want to go?"

His own crew exchanged glances. "We gotta deliver these, Cap," Skunk said, twisting his hands together. "We saw 'em yesterday, anyways."

"Well then, take Turtle. I doubt he's ever met royalty. Nina, too. You ever meet Princess Peony, kid? She's a handful."

Nina's heart stalled. It couldn't be. She had gone halfway across the solar system, so she knew she couldn't have heard right. Or, at least, she hoped. "Princess Peony. Like Eastern-Commonwealth-Princess Peony?"

"The one and only. She's been traveling with Captain Thorne and his wife and kid. Learning all about the solar system. Want to meet her?"

"No." The word escaped her mouth before she could fully think about it. Then, more forcefully, she said: "No. I'm going with you." She grabbed one of the hovering platforms that the crates were stacked on. "You can't do it all on your own."

Key stared at her, but, thankfully, didn't ask questions. Nina breathed a little easier with every step she took away from the direction of the royal ship. She would never need and never wanted to meet a crazed half-lunar. Much less the daughter of the ruthless empress. Not for the first time, Nina rubbed at the back of her neck, wishing her mother had gotten her a bioelectric lock when she'd been little.

They dropped off a few crates to little souvenir shops as they went along, but, Key told her, the majority would go to the Lagoon.

It was at the Lagoon that Nina missed the sun for the first time. It was there, of course, but just far enough away that its heat couldn't reach her. As soon as she stepped through the doors, a blast of air warmed her to her bones, reminding her of the heat in Lynn's booth and Nina found she didn't mind much. It was a very welcome difference from a flying metal box with navigation problems.

They made their way down the back staff halls, coming to a wide door that Key had to swipe his wrist over the lock to get through. Nina guided her platform into the room, pausing at the sight of lapping waves on a black sand beach.

Key chuckled and shoved a platform through the door with his foot. "Go swim."

"I- I'm not dressed for it."

"So? You'll dry off."

Nina ignored him. Her eyes traveled up to the domed ceiling modeled to look like the Earthen sky, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. She snapped her attention back to Key, swallowing back her overwhelming desire to see Lynn again. Just a few more days. "Where do these go?"

A girl with long honey hair held back with a seashell pin met them at the slightly cooler storage rooms, one hand on her hip, a port clutched to her chest.

"You mean you're actually delivering while we're not busy?" She said it as a joke, but both Key and Nina heard the bite in it.

"Haha, you're so funny. My sides are ready to burst," Key said, monotone. "You closed today?"

The girl hummed, checking off the order on her port. "Cleaning day only happens once a month."

"You have 'em, though, right?"

"Had since last week when all of this should have been here. We've been running low for a while, dummy."

Key scratched the back of his head. Nina was surprised he didn't pull out some of his hair given how often he did that. "Sorry about that."

"You say sorry too often. Who's she?"

"Sor- er, Nina. She's Nina. My unofficial delivery girl." Nina gave him a look at the new title. "So, the wraps?"

The honey girl leg them into the back where a short stack of small boxes sat. Nina peered inside one of them as she lifted the lid. Little orbs of jelly with green centers lined the padding. Nina wanted to poke one, but wasn't sure Key would be too happy if she did. She couldn't risk doing anything else to upset him after she already ruined his day.

"Green?" Key asked as the girl replaced the lid.

"They've been sitting out for a while, waiting for you. Any more time and they might've turned yellow." Turning on the platform, she kicked it towards them. "Your pay. Consider the lack of freshness as a my discount."

"Aces, Gail. Never said anything about a discount," he muttered, pushing the handle into Nina's hands.

She glared. "You also never said anything about being late."

The squeak of metal against a wet floor cut of Key's retort. "I thought you were closed. Is it your employees?"

"It shouldn't be; they all left a while ago." Gail stormed past them and into the hallway. "Probably someone who just wanted the pool to themselves." She began to tap away furiously on her port. Key nudged Nina for them to follow her. Nina obliged.

She led them directly to the door she claimed was the only one that ever made that noise. Nina wrapped her arms around herself as Gail gave her a suspicious glance.

"Don't you dare touch anything."

She nearly rolled her eyes. Like she ever would. Stealing is what got her in this mess in the first place. "I won't. Promise," she added before Gail opened the door. A dull roar Nina hadn't noticed before met her ears. The blast of overly hot air was enough to dry out her eyes. She squoze them shut, wrinkling her nose at the feeling.

Gail sighed. "The steam room doors are open." She paused before stepping into the hallway and swore. Nina stared, confused at the small puddle of water that fell subject to Gail's curses. "The geyser room was opened." She slammed her foot down into it, not caring a warm water splashed onto them. "Do they have any idea how dangerous that is? Who's there?" she shouted. "I won't hesitate to contact the authorities!" Nina followed her down the hallway without a second thought, not noticing at first that Key seemed reluctant.

The thundering of the geysers increased with every step. She had been in a steam room before, but never behind one and it was not an experience she ever wanted to repeat.

The hall was kept clean and bright, but the thick air was starting to make her choke and her clothes were clinging to her skin. They followed a thin stream until Gail started cursing enough that Key covered Nina's ears.

"She's only a child. Don't expose her to such things!" Nina rolled her eyes.

"They broke my lock! I paid a lot for that. Stupid -" Key pressed harder on Nina's ears. When he finally let go, Nina could make out murmuring voices that were probably a lot louder up close.

Gail surged forward. "I'm not waiting for the police. They could be doing anything in there." Neither Key nor Nina tried to stop her. They didn't have to. Gail only made it a few steps before she backed up into Key.

"Stars above! What the… Are you seeing the same thing I am?" Nina leaned forward, searching for the intruders.

This time it was Key that swore. "What's Sharpe doing here?" He sucked in a breath. "Is that… It can't be."

Nina's eyes widened, her lungs releasing what heavy air she had managed to get. She could feel her pulse quicken, her heart bruising her chest.

Next to a gaping hole in the ground was a tall man with braided black hair and a hooked nose. Even from where she was, Nina could see the glistening metal of a cyborg arm revealed by the rolled up sleeves of his red coat and a girl with a full head of long, black hair and tanned skin sitting on the floor, her arms bound to her sides. Nina had seen her enough on news feeds and social forums to recognize her face anywhere.

"Princess Peony."

 **Chap 3 done! We're just getting warmed up! TLC has a lot of fairy tales mixed in it and it's the same here (though I'm not sure it's really a fairy tale, but it's definitely a story most people know). Anyone want to take a stab at what story this is based off of ;). Thanks for reading. Chap 4 coming soon.**


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